Carton lining machines



Feb. 7, 1967 w. HEPWORTH CARTON LINING MACHINES Filed March 13, 1964 \NvNTQQ United States Patent O 3,302,538 CARTON LINING MACHINES WillieHepworth, Sutton, Surrey, England, assignor to Pembroke Carton andPrinting Company Limited, Basiidon, Essex, England, a British companyFiled Mar. 13, 1964, Ser. No. 351,648 3 Claims. (Cl. 9336.01)

The present invention comprises a carton lining machine capable ofoperation at high speeds to produce from fiat carton blanks foldedcartons, open at each end, having secured therein a length of pre-formedtubular lining also open at each end and preferably protruding from theends of the carton. High speed operation is essential for economicproduction and high speed machines of the present type are arranged tocarry a carton blank on bands or belts through the machine duringfolding and lining operations. Slight alterations in spacing oralignment of the cartons in relation to the carrying bands or beltsrender the application of lining elements unsatisfactory, and in priorUnited States Patent No. 2,758,520 there is described the production ofa lined carton having a preformed tubular lining in which a continuoustubular lining is applied to the carton blanks and the latter foldedround the continuous tubular lining which was afterwards severed betweenthe folded and lined cartons. For the cutting operation an intermittentor discontinuous operation of the cutter was necessary and some wastageof lining material also took place. The present invention provides amachine of which all working parts are arranged to perform a steadycontinuous movement and where necessary are positively operated in timedrelationship with one another, and in the operation of which machinewastage is avoided.

According to the present invention a carton lining machine comprises incombination means for continuously and positively advancing cartonblanks through the machine in regularly spaced relationship, a printingroller for applying adhesive to the carton blanks, means for producing acontinuous preformed tubular lining for the cartons, means forcontinuously feeding the preformed tubular lining to a rotary cutter forsevering appropriate lengths of the tubular lining, and means fortransferring the cut lengths of lining from the cutter to the cartonblanks at a position subsequent to the printing of the latter withadhesive, whereof said feeding means is continuously and positivelydriven at an independently variable speed and the printing roller,rotary cutter and the transfer means for the cut lengths of lining areall continuously and positively driven in a fixed speed relationshipwith the means for advancing the carton blanks.

By adjusting the speed of the feeding means it may be ensured that arequired cut length of lining for each blank is applied to the blankduring its passage through the machine.

Conveniently the machine comprises also carton prefolding and finalfolding sections which are respectively disposed in advance of and onthe delivery side of the lining and gluing mechanisms and which haveendless bands or belts, for engaging and carrying the carton blanks andlined carton blanks respectively through the said sections, separatefrom the means for advancing the carton blanks in regularly spacedrelationship. In such case the machine may have an initial feedingdevice for carton blanks, a carrying chain having spaced stops to engagethe rearward edges of the carton blanks supplied by the feeding device,and a second similar carton blank carrying chain for moving cartonsthrough the gluing and lining mechanism whereof the carrying chains aredriven in synchronism and are separated by the pre-folding section ofwhich the operating endless bands or belts are "ice driven at a linearspeed somewhat in excess of that of the chains and are arranged toreceive carton blanks from the first carrying chain and deliver them tothe second carrying chain.

Preferably the present machine has a continuous carton lining tubeforming mechanism disposed above the carton blank advancing means andprinting roller for feeding the continuous lining tube to the rotarycutter which is also disposed above the carton advancing means.Preferably also the machine provided by the present invention comprisesa pair of superposed positively driven rollers driven in timedrelationship with the drive of the carton advancing means, the upperroller comprising a lining cutter and the lower roller serving totransfer the cut lining tube and apply it to a carton blank carried bythe carton advancing means.

In the latter case the machine conveniently has belts to grip the liningbetween the superposed rollers and said belts, the latter being arrangedforwardly of the cutting roller and rearwardly of the transfer rollerand engaging arcuate paths around the superposed rollers to ensure thata cut lining length is always gripped until applied to the carton blank.

By way of example a carton lining machine constructed in accordance withthe present invention will now be described with reference to theaccompanying drawings which are a diagrammatic representation of themachine in side elevation.

Referring to the drawings, the unlined carton blanks 9 are initially fedto a channel or tray 10 as a sloping stack from which they are advancedat regularly spaced intervals by a carrying chain 11 having spaced stops12 to engage the rearward edges of the carton blanks and driven betweenend sprockets 13 and 14. For a fast feed of carton blanks the feed tray19 for carrying a stack of carton blanks 9 is suitably angled for arotary wheel 15 with a periphery having one or more groups of rubberstuds 16 which may be hollowed or indented at the centre) to be able tocollect the top carton by co-operation between the studs and a rubbercounter-rotatable roller 17 between which and the normal periphery ofthe wheel 15 the top carton can protrude without being engaged forfeeding. The feed wheel 15 is driven in synchronism with the chain 11 todeposit carton blanks regularly between the stops 12 which engage therearward edges of the cartons to advance them in regularly spacedsequence. The chain 11 is conveniently duplicated laterally of themachine so that chains so disposed side by side can serve to support thecarton blank.

From the carrying chain 11 the carton blanks carried in regularly spacedrelationship are delivered to a prefolding section of the machine duringpassage through which the carton blank is folded about various foldlines and then unfolded to be delivered again as a fiat open cartonblank. The carton blanks are gripped between driving and conveying belts18 and 19 which carry the blank past suitable cam guides and formers tocarry out the desirable folding. The guides may be stationary or may beafforded by a plurality of closely spaced suitably positioned springpressed rollers with suitably bevelled contacting surfaces for engagingthe cartons or endless belts in contact with the cartons. The belts l3and 19 are operated slightly faster than the chain 11 and deliver thecarton blanks, which have been folded and then unfolded, to a second setof carrying chains 20 with stops 21 spaced as on chain 11 and operatedat the same speed, preferably from a common drive.

Although the belts 18, 19 move faster than the chains 20, the pathlength through which the belts 18, 19 move the blanks is equated to thespeed of movement along the path so that each blank is delivered inproper relation to 3 a set of stops 21 on the chains 20. As the blanksare delivered to the belts 13, 19 at the same intervals as they aredelivered by the belts to the chains the fact that the belts 18, 19 movethe blanks faster does not affect the synchronism of the delivery of theblanks from the belts in relation to the stops on the chains 20.

The higher speed of the belts 13, 19 ensures that the carton blanks arewithdrawn from the stops 12 on the chains 11 by the belts instead of thestops having to push the blanks into the nip of the belts. It alsoeliminates the danger of the stops 12 dragging the trailing edges of theblanks downwards when the stops travel round the chain wheels 14. Thiswould tend to damage the blanks and throw them out of line.

The second carrying chain 20 aifords means for continuously andpositively advancing carton blanks through the carton lining machine inregularly spaced relationship, and the operation of the chain 20 iseffected in positive timed relationship with that of a glue printingroller 22 for example by means of a common driving connection. Thegluing roller 22 has built on the face of a plain cylindrical roller apattern of ridges 23 in moulded rubber, the mouldings carrying theridges being secured to the roller. The pattern of ridges conforms tothe glue lines on the carton blank, e.g. longitudinal lines near thelongitudinal folds and including end flaps for anchorge of a tubularliner, cross lines adjacent to the end flaps, and a final longitudinalclosure line for the carton blank itself. The regulated drive of roller22 ensures that the glue pattern is applied regularly at each revolutionto the spaced carton blanks as they pass on carrying chain 20, onerevolution of the roller 22 corresponding to the passage of a chainlength equal to that between successive stops 21. A heated glue trough26 and transfer rollers and 24 may be employed in conventional fashionfor supplying glue to the ridged pattern 23 of the gluing roller 22.

A reel 27 of fiat web material is conveniently mounted at one side ofthe machine, e.g. in a flying mechanism affording a pair of such supplyreels in a pivoted or otherwise adjustable frame permitting alternativeuse of the reels, and including means for splicing the end of the web onone reel to the beginning of the web on the other reel when the firstreel is exhausted. In this way it is not necessary to stop the machineto change the reels nor to re-thread the web material through themachine. Such a mechanism is termeda flying splice mechanism and itsconstruction is well known per se. The web is conveyed by suitable guiderollers to a level above the prefolding mechanism and the secondconveying chain. The web from the reel 27 with its axis parallel to thedirection of movement of the carton blanks through the machineconveniently proceeds vertically to a first guide roller and thentransversely of the machine to a diagonally placed roller above thepre-folder so that on passage around the diagonal roller the directionof movement of the Web is corrected to one longitudinally of themachine. The web is conducted over further guide rollers 28 and 29 andfinally by passage round large diameter wheels 30 and along a tubeforming guide 31 the web is converted to tubular form. Final forming ofthe tube is effected by rollers 32 on the upper surface of the tube, andthese rollers may be arranged in pairs for gradually flattening into thecentre upturned side edges of the web round the tube former 31. The tubeis finally completed by a gluing unit (represented at 33) which deliversmolten adhesive intially supplied from a reel of the dry and coldadhesive in tape, rod or filament form which is passed through asuitable heater. The glue feed is by a device variable independently ofthe supply reel and adjusted according to the speed of the web formingthe tube. Molten glue is applied to the tube seam and the continuoustubular lining 36 is forwarded by pressure and feed rollers 34 whichpresent the tubular lining to a rotary cutter 35.

The continuous tube of lining material 36 is fed to a cutter by mean offeed rolls 34 driven by an independent variable speed drive. The cutter35 is rotary with, say, one or two blades 37 and the blades are timed tooperate once for each pass of a chain length between stops 21 of thecarton blank feeding and forwarding chain 20, the rotary cutter beingoperated positively from the same drive as that for the chain 20. Theblades 37 sever a length of tubular lining from the supply passed to thecutter by the rollers 34 and the circumference of a cutter cylindercarrying two blades, for example, may be twice the length of a singlechain space between stops 21. The tubular lining feed rollers 34,however, are adjusted in speed to pass only that length of tube 36required for a single carton lining for each operation of the cutterblades 37. The portion of continuous tubular lining 36 as fed by therolls 34 passes over the cutting cylinder 35 to a set of narrow belts 38spring pressed against the surface of the cutting cylinder 35 andextending, arcuately around the cutter substantially, to the lowestlevel of the lowest level of the cutting cylinder 35. These belts 38 andthe cutting cylinder 35 will be feeding at the same linear speed as thefeed chain 20, and until cutting of the lining tube 36 occurs the beltsand cutter 35 will slip slightly on the lining tube 36.

This is because the linear speed of the rollers 34 is less than that ofthe cutter 35 and the belts 38 and the rollers 34 accordingly hold backthe lining tube in relation to the cutter and the belts until aftercutting takes place. Belts 38 are carried by pulleys 39. After cutting,the lining element is fed by the belts 38 and cutting roller 35 at thecorrect speed to transfer pulleys 40 beneath the cutting cylinder 35,the transfer pulleys 40 being of the same diameter as cylinders 35 andspaced between the belts 38 engaging the cutting cylinder 35. Byadjusting the speed of the feed rolls 34 it may be ensured that the cutlengths of liner are spaced apart by the required amount so that as theyare fed forward on to the blanks at a speed which is synchronised withthe speed of advancement of the blanks, they are deposited on the blanksin the correct location. The transfer pulleys 40 co-operate with belts41, carried on pulleys 42, over an extended arc of the periphery ofpulley 40 to deposit the cut lining on the carton blank as it isadvanced by the chain 20 after gluing. The nip of the pulleys 40 andbelts 41 will be maintained as close as possible to the glued cartonblank and all these elements are positively driven at the same linearspeed as the chain 20, e.g. from a common power shaft. Two belts and twopulleys at least, and in side by side relationship, are preferred forengaging one width of lining tube. The pulleys 40 conveniently have coilspring belts round their periphery which also serve to hold the cutliner against the carton blank until these combined elements are takenby final feed rolls (not shown) to the final folding section. The cartonand lining are taken through the final folding section, in which theblank is folded round the liner, by belts 43 which then lead to a finaldelivery section of opposed belts 44 and 45 the lower (and/or upper) ofwhich is backed by spring pressed rollers 46 to accommodate groups ofcartons which may be stacked by a suitable counting unit, suitabledevices for taking up of belting being indicated at 47. No specialprecautions are required in the driving of the belts for the finalfolding and delivery sections providing they are adequate to avoid abuild up of finished cartons. In fact they will be run somewhat fasterthan the carrying chain 20.

It will be seen that all operating parts of the machine are in uniformcontinuous movement and that accuracy of operation is achieved becausepositive driving interconnection is provided between all parts of themachine in which the carton blank and its cut liner are treated, i.e.between the carton blank advancing driving chains 11 and 20, the gluingrollers 22, liner cutting roller 35 and liner feed wheels 40 forconveying the cut liner to the carton blank. In a specific constructionof machine cartons may be fed on parallel tracks and adjustmentscentralised by the use of adjustment chains interconnecting suitablesimilarly adjustable screw rods. A unit chain length of, say, 12 inchesbetween stops may be employed for a first range of carton sizes andalternate stops may be removed to give a second range of carton sizes upto nearly two feet. A suitable cutting cylinder size may then beselected so that either one or two cutters on the cylinder may beeffective, while the gluing roller drive will be suitably varied, or asin the case of the cutter, the gluing roller may be of a size to haveeither one or two gluing pattern areas for operating according to thecarton size and chain gap adopted.

1 claim:

1. In a carton lining machine comprising means for continuously andpositively advancing carton blanks through the machine in regularlyspaced relationship, an adhesive printing roller for applying adhesiveto the carton blanks advanced by said advancing means, a rotary cutterfor severing appropriate lengths of a tubular lining, feeding means forfeeding a preformed tubular lining to the rotary cutter, means fortransferring the cut lengths of lining from the cutter to the cartonblanks advanced by said advancing means at a position subsequent to theprinting of the latter with adhesive and driving means for driving saidprinting roller, said rotary cutter and said transfer means for the cutlengths of lining all continuously and positively in a fixed speedrelationship with the means for advancing the carton blanks theimprovement which consists in that independently variable driving meansis provided for continuously and positively driving said feeding meansat an independently variable speed.

2. A carton lining machine comprising an initial feeding device forcarton blanks, a first carrying chain having spaced stops to engage therearward edges of the carton blanks supplied by the feeding device, acarton blank pre-folding and unfolding section comprising endless bandsor belts arranged to receive carton blanks carried forward by saidcarrying chain from said initial feeding device and deliver them to acarton blank gluing and lining section of the machine, the lattercomprising a second carrier chain having spaced stops to engage therearward edges of the carton blanks delivered from the pre-folding andunfolding section and advance the carton blanks in regularly spacedrelation through said gluing and lining section, and driving means fordriving said first and second carrying chains in synchronism and theendless bands or belts of the carton blank pre-folding and unfoldingsection at a linear speed somewhat in excess of that of the chains.

3. A carton lining machine comprising means for continuously andpositively advancing carton blanks through the machine in regularlyspaced relationship, an adhesive printing roller for applying adhesiveto the carton blanks advanced by said advancing means, a pair ofsuperposed rollers, the upper one of which comprises a lining cutter forsevering appropriate lengths of -a tubular lining, and the lower one ofwhich serves to transfer the cut lengths of lining to the carton blanksadvanced by said carton blank advancing means at a position subsequentto the printing of the lattter with adhesive, belts to grip the liningin a nip between the superposed rollers and said belts, the latter beingarranged forwardly of the cutting roller and rearwardly of the transferroller and engaging arcuate paths around the superposed rollers toensure that the leading edge of the lining and a lining length cuttherefrom by the lining cutter is always gripped in a nip, the latteruntil applied to the carton blank, means for continuously feeding apreformed tubular lining to the rotary cutter, driving means for drivingsaid printing roller, said rotary cutter, and said transfer roller forthe out lengths of lining all continuously and positively in a fixedspeed relationship with the means for advancing the carton "blanks, andindependently variable driving means for continuously and positivelydriving said feeding means at an independently variable speed.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,095,910 10/1937Bergstein 9336.01 2,166,388 7/1939 Bergstein 9336.01 2,776,606 1/1957Fischer et a1. 93-366 3,142,231 7/1964 Christensson 9336.6

FOREIGN PATENTS 833,297 4/1960 Great Britain.

BERNARD STICKNEY, Primary Examiner.

1. IN A CARTON LINING MACHINE COMPRISING MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY ANDPOSITIVELY ADVANCING CARTON BLANKS THROUGH THE MACHINE IN REGULARLYSPACED RELATIONSHIP, AN ADHESIVE PRINTING ROLLER FOR APPLYING ADHESIVETO THE CARTON BLANKS ADVANCED BY SAID ADVANCING MEANS, A ROTARY CUTTERFOR SEVERING APPROPRIATE LENGTHS OF A TUBULAR LINING, FEEDING MEANS FORFEEDING A PREFORMED TUBULAR LINING TO THE ROTARY CUTTER, MEANS FORTRANSFERRING THE CUT LENGTHS OF LINING FROM THE CUTTER TO THE CARTONBLANKS ADVANCED BY SAID ADVANCING MEANS AT A POSITION SUBSEQUENT TO THEPRINTING OF THE LATTER WITH ADHESIVE AND DRIVING MEANS FOR DRIVING SAIDPRINTING ROLLER, SAID ROTARY CUTTER AND SAID TRANSFER MEANS FOR THE CUTLENGTHS OF LINING ALL CONTINUOUSLY AND POSITIVELY IN A FIXED SPEEDRELATIONSHIP WITH THE MEANS FOR ADVANCING THE CARTON BLANKS THEIMPROVEMENT WHICH CONSISTS IN THAT INDEPENDENTLY VARIABLE DRIVING MEANSIS PROVIDED FOR CONTINUOUSLY AND POSITIVELY DRIVING SAID FEEDING MEANSAT AN INDEPENDENTLY VARIABLE SPEED.